Braving the Dark
by BarefootButtercup
Summary: The Gaang is hurting after the loss of one of their members. Then when Katara is captured as well, she finds she will have to face the future with a new perspective after an injury that leaves her scarred and nearly helpless. Rated T now, might change to M later. I know every description says this, but I would love any review you care to give!
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

They were surrounded. Katara felt the sweat running down her face as she stood braced with her back to Aang and Zuko. The three were clustered in a defensive circle in the midst of a swarm of Fire Nation attackers. She quickly swiped a hand across her forehead, using the moisture to bend a whip of water into the front line of firebenders.

"On three," whispered Zuko, "Aang, fly up and away. That'll distract them enough for me to run through and get away. Can you take Katara?"

"I can run, too," she breathed back. Aang shook his head, taking her arm.

"It's safer in the air," he replied, and she nodded silently rather than arguing at such a critical moment. Suddenly, Zuko grasped his two companions on the shoulders and forced them to the ground. Fireballs roared over their heads, obscuring the battleground for a moment. But a moment might be enough.

"Three!" yelled Zuko, punching a jet of flames into the surrounding army and breaking into a sprint. Katara clung to Aang as he pushed off and she was lifted into the sky by his glider. As soon as they had cleared the army, she loosened her grip, landing with a roll so that she could help Zuko fight his way to their meeting place. She pulled a supply of water from a patch of unsinged grass and readied herself. As several firebenders approached, she loosed a water whip at them, and at the same time their backups were felled as Sokka's boomerang hit their helmets with huge clangs.

"Run, Katara!" called Sokka from his position on higher ground. He reached up and caught his boomerang as it looped back to him, then threw it immediately to take out a soldier close at Zuko's heels. Seeing that the friendly firebender was nearly out of the fray, she too turned and dashed towards the cliffs, where she knew Toph was waiting. As soon as she reached the base of the bluff, she felt the earth move beneath her. A huge pillar of rock erupted under her feet, launching her into the air and up to where Sokka stood. Aang knelt farther behind him, finishing last-minute preparations to ready Appa for escape. Toph also stood there in a battle stance, sensing the Fire Nation soldiers' positions and knocking them over with rocks. She was also poised to launch Zuko up to join them as soon as he reached the cliff base.

Katara joined Sokka at the edge of the cliff. She could barely spot Zuko in the sea of red and black cloth beneath her. He was running fast, outstripping the soldiers in their heavy armor but impeded because he had to keep turning to send fireballs back at his pursuers. Sokka continued his boomerang attacks, but as the whole army now had a single target, there were still plenty of soldiers chasing the fire prince.

It happened as though in slow motion. One minute, Zuko was spinning gracefully in a firebending kick, and the next he was falling. Katara didn't know if he had tripped on a stone or if he lost his balance trying to dodge some of the fire missiles sent his way. All she could see was Zuko tumbling towards the ground, instantly surrounded again by dozens of soldiers. One of the men kicked Zuko fiercely in the head, and after that he did not struggle. Even as the firebenders were pelted with attacks of earth, water, and boomerang, the majority of them began swarming towards the cliffs, while a few began to drag Zuko to the ships waiting in the nearby river port.

"No!" shouted Katara furiously. She launched herself from the cliff, trusting Toph to help her land safely, but instead the earthbender caused her to be propelled back to Appa.

"We have to go, Katara," Aang said desperately. "We can't win this one."

"We can't leave Zuko," she protested. "We can't abandon one of our group!"

"It was his idea." Toph's voice was sharp but tinged with pain. "He predicted this. He said his father put a price on him as well as on Aang, and he told us to protect the Avatar even if he _was _captured." She was right, Zuko had said that: _They won't kill me; I'm too valuable. They will want me alive._ But that did not change the reality of the situation.

Katara was furious. "None of us thought he was serious! We never thought this would happen. I won't just -" Her words were cut off by a huge jet of fire launched over the cliff. She hit the ground hard in a haze of noxious fumes and was dragged up, coughing, by Sokka's firm grip on her arm. He heaved her up into Appa's saddle, and the bison took off immediately. Katara wiped the smoke from her streaming eyes, peering desperately down. She couldn't see Zuko anymore, but a single Fire Nation ship was rapidly departing towards the sea.

"Follow them!" she called - or tried to, but there seemed to be something wrong with her voice. She coughed again, hacking. She couldn't catch her breath, and she fell to her hands and knees as she gasped for air. Someone rolled her onto her back, but she couldn't open her eyes wide enough to see who. As she strived for control over her rebelling lungs, the faint light her squinted eyes received faded to a deep, spiraling black. She had enough time for a brief thought that she hoped she would wake up from this sleep.


	2. Ambush

_Chapter One_

It had been almost two months since they had lost Zuko. Katara had counted the days at first, but as they mounted higher and higher, the numbers became unbearable. Whatever poisonous fumes had been in that last fireball had taken their toll. Katara, who had inhaled the worst of the smoke, was the most affected, but Sokka, who had dragged her out of the cloud, was sickened as well. By the time Katara regained consciousness and was well enough to pursue the Fire Nation fleet, the ships were nowhere to be found. They weren't far from the Fire Nation border; it was likely that they had already docked and unloaded their prisoner to meet whatever fate his father had in store. Katara tried not to dwell on this.

Zuko's absence was affecting the entire group. They each had their way of dealing with it; Aang hid it the best under his quick smile and optimism, but his frustration became clear whenever he was tired or upset. Sokka channeled his emotions into plans for revenge on the Fire Nation as a whole. His method was probably the most effective, all in all. Toph was just moody. She kept herself a little apart from the rest of the group, snapping at them when she talked and making everyone else even more on edge. She had gotten better as time went by - they had all improved to some degree, but they still were not back to normal. Katara's grief was the plainest to see.

At any rate, they were on their way to meet up with Zuko's uncle. Katara was also trying not to think about how Iroh would react when he discovered his nephew had been captured. There were a lot of thoughts she was avoiding these days.

Aang said that Iroh would know where to go from here. He was a brilliant strategist, after all, and he had intimate knowledge of the Fire Nation. It was also an unspoken truth that, with Zuko gone, Aang needed another firebending teacher. And so they were off to one of the small hamlets in the south of the Earth Kingdom. Katara didn't know what the rest of them would do while they were holed up in whatever secret place Iroh had in mind to finish Aang's training, or how long it would take. All she knew was that however long it was, she would probably be doing nothing useful - and they would certainly not be rescuing Zuko.

It did cross her mind that Iroh might attempt a rescue mission, but the thought was quickly squelched. He would mourn for his nephew's safety, certainly, but he would also agree that the Avatar's training was more important. It was one thing that Katara could not understand, how people could make themselves see that Aang's mission outweighed their immediate needs. But then again, hadn't she left her own people to join the Avatar? It was all too complicated to think about all the time.

When they stopped to eat and give Appa a rest, Aang sat next to her. "Look, Katara!" he called, bending a breeze into a fountain of red dust and green leaves. His voice was cheerful, a little forced. He had tried to have a serious conversation with her a few nights back, about Zuko, but he didn't seem to understand her distress. Aang was upset about Zuko, of course, but he and the rest of the group were not letting it rule their lives, and he seemed concerned that Katara was dwelling in the past rather than planning for the future. "Look, Katara," he had said, "we can't go back. We all wish we could, but we can't. It happened, and it's not your fault." He just couldn't see it - she had vowed never to turn her back on the people she cared about or on those who needed help. But she had been unable to save Zuko. And she was planning for the future, but she knew she couldn't attempt a rescue mission without the rest of her friends.

Aang, she thought, did not fully comprehend the situation. Or at least, he was ignoring it to further the mission. She thought it was a flaw that he was so naive. He always seemed to have on a hopeful, pleasant face. Katara used to be the optimist, but she was finding it harder and harder to keep her hope strong. So maybe it was a flaw in her, not in Aang. After all, didn't the wellbeing of an entire world of people outweigh the temporary wellbeing of one firebender? She sighed, closing her eyes. It was just so hard. She needed to clear her mind, get her head back into the mission.

She rose decisively, stating that she was going to look for food. She strode right through Aang's air fountain, forgetting it was there, then looked back apologetically. "I'll be back soon," she promised. The airbender jumped up as well.

"I'll come with you!" he exclaimed with a wide grin.

"Next time," Katara said awkwardly. "I really need to clear my mind, Aang. I'm sorry." Aang looked disappointed, but she really did need to think, so she got a basket from Appa's saddle and wandered away from the group.

"Stay close," Sokka called, and she raised a hand in acknowledgement. You could never be too careful.

If she didn't know better, Katara would almost think that Aang was jealous of all the time she spent thinking about Zuko. Aang was a great companion, but she was beginning to get a needling feeling that he might be wanting something more from their friendship. But he was too young for romance, wasn't he? At any rate, she had more pressing issues at the moment - and so did Aang. And she could be totally wrong. In fact, the more she contemplated his position, the more she understood it. Maybe her dwelling in the past _was _compromising his mission, and after all, the Avatar's success would help everyone. The more Aang mastered, the better chance they had of defeating Firelord Ozai and rescuing Zuko.

Recognizing a patch of berry bushes from previous Earth Kingdom adventures, she began to fill her basket and continued her self-reflection. Yes, it had been hard living on the run, and especially hard for the last month worrying about what was happening to Zuko, but Aang was right. She couldn't go back and change the past, and no amount of fretting would help anyone. As she picked the last cluster of berries from the bush, she resolved to devote herself to bending practice and helping Aang wholeheartedly however she could.

She turned and began to walk purposefully back to the others. She still had a slight smile on her face when a blur of pink dropped out of a tree. Ty Lee danced around her, fingers darting into pressure points all over Katara's body. She couldn't even scream as she dropped the basket and fell bonelessly to the ground. Her cheek was pressed into a puddle of crushed berries, but not for long. Ty Lee scooped her up - she was amazingly strong for her slight figure - and sprinted deep into the forest.

Katara could not fight back, but she tried fiercely to regain control of her body. She tried to remember how long chi-blocking lasted, but her mind was too scattered to remember. She didn't know how long Ty Lee carried her, but the girl was an amazing athlete. She skipped across tree roots and even propelled herself with pushes off of vertical rocks and tree trunks. Once she even swung one-handed on a vine as Katara's body flopped over her opposite shoulder. But eventually she slowed down, emerging into a clearing and dumping her prisoner to the ground.

Katara had known it was coming, of course, but her heart still plummeted as a curled booth tip nudged her face upward and she met the mad eyes of Fire Princess Azula. "Well, well," Zuko's sister drawled, "what have we here? Ty Lee, I believe you have captured a wanted criminal. We shall have to return to Father at once."

From out of Katara's range of sight came another voice. "Don't you want to take back more of her friends?" The dark monotone could only belong to Mai. _Yes, _thought Katara, _just try to attack them. I'll fight back and escape and we'll beat you together._ But Azula's answer chilled her.

"Why, Mai, have you forgotten our instructions? Our mission is to capture the criminals one by one. We _would _win, obviously, if we tried to take them all, but why take the risk? It's more sporting to hunt individual prey. Just think, we can deliver this one, visit home, walk around the palace, eat some real food, and then the fun begins all over again." She laughed, a cold, hard chortle that sent a tremor down Katara's spine. "Now let's get out of here before they start looking for her. Come on, Mai, Ty Lee."

As Azula spoke, Ty Lee hoisted Katara again, this time onto the back of her mongoose dragon. Katara noted that she didn't seem worried about the chi blocking wearing off anytime soon. Nevertheless, she strapped her passenger down. "Don't want to lose you off the back!" she said cheerfully. Katara did not answer. She gritted her teeth against tears and began to plot her escape.


	3. Making Camp

_Chapter Two_

As they traveled through the rest of the day, Katara started inconspicuously checking her ability to move. Slowly but steadily, she regained control of her body. She was careful, however, to remain limp and so to hopefully keep her captors off their guard. Ty Lee's mongoose dragon was the last in line, so there was no one behind Katara to see her movements if they were well hidden by the bulk of the giant reptile she was laid across. She carefully began to repeatedly clench one hand dangling next to the mongoose dragon's tail, which she knew was hidden from Ty Lee's view. She did not want to be stiff when the fighting began.

Not that she wanted to fight, but these three girls were too strong to let her escape easily. She hoped that she could turn their own plan back on them, that they would split up for some reason and she could take on fairer battles one at a time.

The sky, barely visible through the dense trees, had long ago darkened before Azula ordered a stop for the night. Katara's heartbeat quickened, and she made sure to stay limp as Ty Lee vaulted off her mongoose dragon and came around to where Katara was tied. She loosened her ropes, fingers a blur, but didn't bother to catch Katara, who fell heavily to the damp ground.

"Oh!" Ty Lee exclaimed, looking down at her in puzzlement. "Your chi can't still be blocked! You can get up."

Azula took a more direct approach. She kicked Katara in the side, and the waterbender curled up reflexively. "There, you see," snarled the fire princess, "you're moving already. Now get up and help set up camp."

There really was no choice. Katara pushed herself shakily to her feet and over to where Mai knelt with a canvas tent halfway erected. As Mai rose and stretched the tent fully upright, Katara caught a glimpse of dagger sheaths on her ankles - and she knew Mai probably had more weapons on her at all times. Katara didn't know which of her three captors was most dangerous; her eyes flicked back and forth, considering. Mai had knives, of course, but Katara could try to block them with ice. Azula had her firebending, and she was ruthless. The look in her eyes scared Katara; some of the things Zuko had told her, as well as Katara's previous experiences, led to a nervous feeling about the princess's sanity. Ty Lee, though, was fast and agile, and her chi blocking was totally disabling. She could run with a knife in her back, thought Katara firmly, or with burn scars, but if Ty Lee got ahold of her she was doomed.

Mai's dark monotone came from behind her. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I can guess." Her golden eyes, as Katara glanced back to her, were steeled and piercing. "If you try to run, you won't get far. There's no way you can beat us without help, and none of your friends are here to give it."

Katara refused to answer. She reinforced her determined frown and looked pointedly away from Mai. Ty Lee was gone. Katara blinked - where did she go? Her stealthiness was dangerous. Azula lazed against a tree. "You're not helping, waterbender," she said liltingly.

"Neither are you," Katara shot back. Her temper was flaring. She was scared and sore, but most of all she was angry. At her words, it was as though even the birds stopped their singing. Azula's face looked as though she had been slapped. Then a slow grin spread across her face, sending a chill down Katara's spine. But she refused to look away. She stared into the slightly demented yellow eyes of Zuko's sister until her surroundings faded away, waiting to see what would happen next.

The tension was interrupted by Ty Lee's return. She swooped down from the treetops with an armful of branches. Setting most of them in front of the mongoose dragons, she reserved a few and had a fire going in no time. Beaming, she jumped up again and did a handspring on the way to her saddle pack. She pulled out a large bag and, returning to the fire, began to pull out food.

Mai used her knives to kill some kind of small rodent with a row of feathers down its back, and Katara was ordered to pluck and skin it. She did so easily, butchering the carcass into pieces small enough to be quickly roasted over Ty Lee's fire. She couldn't stop wondering at her situation. Why weren't her hands bound? And why were they allowing her to use a knife to prepare this meat? It couldn't be that they trusted her; she was their prisoner. And so that left only one possible explanation. They didn't see her as a threat. Katara felt her already high temper start to rise again. She would show them just how much of a threat she could be.

As she placed the last cut of meat onto the fire to cook, she felt a searing pain at the back of her neck. She gave a sort of choked-off gasp, clapping her hand to the site of the pain and spinning around. Azula stood above her, smiling widely, with white-blue fire playing around the tips of her fingers. She made another pinching motion, and Katara reeled back. She stared at Azula with pure hatred in her eyes. The princess didn't know it, but she was just feeding the fire that would fuel Katara's escape.


	4. Escape

_Chapter Three_

But an opportunity for escape didn't come that night, or the next day. Katara's suspicion that she was not perceived as a threat was confirmed when they didn't even bother to tie her up. She sat behind Ty Lee on her mongoose dragon, holding onto the saddle as they rode all day. The whole time, she was planning. She needed to escape, and soon. She didn't know how far they had traveled, but she already thought she would be lost and she wanted to get away before it got any worse.

It would have to be tonight. Tonight, when Mai had gone to find meat, or when Ty Lee had vanished for wood, she would do it. Yes, she decided, when Ty Lee was gone. That would be best. She could see it now. Azula would be lazing, arrogantly letting her guard down. Ty Lee would be out of earshot; Mai, setting up the tent. Katara would pile wood up like she was making a fire...Wandering a little farther to get wood...And then she would run. She could almost hear Azula's cry of fury. Mai, cursing, would get tangled in a tent rope. And Katara would run, dodging fireballs and then a flying dagger. But she would get away, and then...

Then what? She didn't know. But that didn't really matter to her - the important thing was getting away. She would find a place to go. At worst, she would go to their meeting place with Iroh. Surely she could make it in time, and if not, someone would know how to find her companions. Probably.

Her musings continued for the rest of the day. They stopped a little earlier that night, and Katara took this as a bad sign. It must mean that they were nearing their destination and no longer had to hurry. She steeled herself for the battle ahead of her.

Her chance came, and Katara put her plan into action. It went nearly as she had expected; Mai began to pull out the tent components, and Ty Lee sprang up into the forest canopy. Azula pulled what looked like a letter out of her bag and read it over and over with a smug grin pasted on her face. Katara gathered a few sticks and placed them in the center of the camp. As she got farther away from Mai to pick up a fallen branch, she saw Mai's hand drift towards her knives, but Katara pretended not to notice. Mai watched her silently for a few seconds, then returned her attention to the tentpoles.

It was time. Katara bent to grasp another stick and then burst into a sprint. She could never just vanish; she had to run and escape. _She was doing it. _Heart pounding, feet flying over the dead leaves, she glanced back over her shoulders. This was going better than she could have hoped. Azula and Mai must have been completely unprepared. There were no daggers flying, no fireballs singing her heels. Ty Lee was not dropping onto her in an attack from above. Almost sobbing with relief, Katara ducked her head and pumped her arms, running as fast as she ever had in her life, faster than when she and Sokka had been attacked by a lion seal, faster than when she was running to that cliff the day Zuko was taken, faster than -

She hit something. Hard. Tumbling backwards, her head hit the ground with a thud. Light from the setting sun was in her eyes - what had she hit? She struggled to get up, but fell back as something blocked the light and she could see what blocked her way. Her pounding heart nearly stopped. It was a fire nation soldier. "Well, well, well," he said softly, "you do not belong here."

Katara heard footsteps behind her, in no hurry. Azula entered the clearing, grinning widely and flanked by Mai and Ty Lee. "Commander Chin," she drawled, "I knew you would take care of her. Imagine my delight when she ran straight towards your unit. How stupid."

The soldiers - Katara now counted maybe twenty - dropped into bows. "Princess," said the man who had knocked Katara over - she supposed this must be Commander Chin - "it was my honor to return your prisoner." He wrapped his hand in Katara's hair, rising and drawing her painfully to her feet as well. "If it pleases you, my men and I will continue to your camp. Would you like this bound?" He shook Katara by the hair and she gasped in agony, then bit her lip, angry at herself.

Azula did not look at her soldier. Instead she stared unblinkingly into Katara's furious eyes. "No, I do not think she will be running again. And of course you must join us at camp. Your men can set up, and then I think we will have some entertainment for the evening. Don't you think that would be nice, Mai? Ty Lee?"

"Entertainment?" asked Ty Lee innocently.

"Yes, of course. I was just thinking what an insult it is for this waterbender to defy a princess. It truly is an insult, wouldn't you agree? Let's see, we can't have a true Agni Kai, because she is not a firebender...but we can have something similar. That will be very entertaining, I think." Her smile never wavered. In fact, it grew as she spoke until her teeth were bared in apparent ecstasy at the thought of the fight to come. Katara felt her blood run cold.

Mai explained the rules to her. They were in the girls' tent, and Mai was preparing her on Azula's orders. Katara had stripped barefoot, braided her hair to minimize distraction, and rid herself of all loose clothes. She stood in the tent in just her dress, missing the security that came from her belt and necklace. She would be fighting the fire princess. A true Agni Kai only ended when one combatant burned another. In this case, it would end when Katara was burned or when she drew Azula's blood by bending ice. "And," said Mai finally, "remember that there is no stopping once you begin. If you slack off, you lose. The harder you fight, the less chance you have of being burned badly. If you give up, she will burn your face." _Like Zuko, _Katara thought. Her stomach clenched. She was already sweating, and she tried to take a few calming breaths.

She knew this duel couldn't be very important in the long-run, but it was still terrifying. She didn't want to be burned, but if she did win, what would happen? She would still be a prisoner, and Azula would truly hate her if she was injured. Perhaps she could try to just draw a _little _blood and not incur the princess's wrath. Or she could offer her healing services to Azula when their duel was done. But still, Azula's honor would be hurt if she was defeated by her prisoner. Should she try to lose? No, Katara decided firmly. She would not fight to lose. That was not her style. She sighed. She had a feeling that she wouldn't have much opportunity to think too hard about strategy. Things could get out of control very quickly.

Mai led her out of the tent, depositing her on a bench-like stone that had been moved to mark a corner of the battle ring. Katara was to sit there while Mai helped Azula get ready. Then it would begin.

A few soldiers standing near the stone where Katara sat started to whisper among themselves, glancing towards her occasionally. Then one of them started catcalling, and more soon followed. Katara closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as though she was meditating, and drowned their voices out. Then one of the men grabbed her arm and her eyes shot open in alarm. He slung her so she tripped into the cleared battle ring. She barely kept from falling, but she steadied herself into her most comfortable bending stance and waited.

Azula emerged from the tent. She, too, had stripped down to simple, unrestrictive clothing. Hers was black, while Katara had maintained her own blue dress. Azula had not removed her pointed boots, but she seemed as comfortable in them as if her feet were free. She was not smiling now, but her eyes expressed as much amusement as they did cruelty. She stretched into a firebending position, two fingers pointed at Katara's face. Golden eyes locked with blue, then Azula gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

With one smooth movement, Mai flicked a knife over her shoulder to hit a shield propped against a tree behind her. The gong noise echoed throughout the forest, and the duel began.


	5. The Duel

_Chapter Four_

Azula attacked instantly. Katara dove to her right, avoiding the jet of flames that shot from the princess's fingertips. She spun around in a crouch, raising her arms to pull a stream of water out of each soldier's canteen. Lunging forward, she flung her arms sideways, twisting her writs to propel a wave towards Azula. The firebender dodged the flood of water, but Katara gritted her teeth, freezing the moisture and pulling it back towards the center of the ring. Long spikes of ice flew at Azula, who barely turned in enough time to throw herself to the ground. The icicles missed, but barely. Katara allowed them to melt again and held the water in a sphere around each hand.

Azula was more cautious after this attack. She circled Katara, who turned to follow her warily. She realized with a start that Azula's smile had returned. Even breathing hard, with her hair falling loose around her face, the firebender was enjoying the fight. Katara clenched her fists, breathing deeply and slowly turned. Then, spinning quickly, she flung one arm to point at Azula. Three more icicles flew through the air, but Katara didn't stop. She rolled and came up, throwing a water whip at the other girl's feet.

Azula bent backwards to avoid the icicles and did a handspring over the incoming water whip. Landing in a crouch, she burst up and spun in a roundhouse kick to unleash balls of fire at Katara's chest. Katara was forced to throw herself to the ground, pressing her cheek into the dirt as she felt hot air singe her back. She pushed up off the packed earth only to be greeted by a thin stream of flame. It whipped around at her face, and she fell backwards as she tried to avoid it.

She couldn't keep her balance. She tripped and fell, twisting so she wouldn't hit her head. She reached out a hand to catch herself and heard a sharp crack, accompanied by a burst of pain at the base of her pinky finger. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she leapt back up, gasping to avoid the next attack.

It didn't come. Ty Lee vaulted into the ring, holding out both arms to call for a stop. Azula, poised to strike, screamed in frustration, but Ty Lee stepped to Katara and gently but firmly grasped her face. "Did she burn you?" The question was matter-of-fact, and her wide brown eyes swept Katara's cheeks for rising welts. Seeing none, she dropped her hands and leapt back out of the ring. Azula began to circle again, awaiting the sound of the gong.

A few murmurs broke out in the crowd. One man laughed. "Silence!" shrieked Azula without moving her eyes from Katara's face. All noise ceased.

Breathing deeply, Katara shook out her arms. The instant stabbing pain in her injured finger made her regret this instantly. Steadying herself, she closed her eyes and forced her mind away from the throbbing pain. _You'll be in a lot worse pain than this if you don't concentrate, _she thought. Then the gong sounded and her eyes flew open.

The battle continued. Katara didn't know how long she fought and dodged attacks. She knew she had circled the entire ring several times, and she was starting to feel the strain. Azula did not show much distress, but she was covered with a thin sheen of sweat. As Katara danced around a line of flame on the ground, she spotted an opening. Azula's arms were spread wide, making the line dance and wave, keeping Katara in motion to avoid it. She had to take this opening, but she couldn't while dodging this line. Taking a chance and steeling herself, she threw herself into the air, straight at Azula.

Katara saw Azula's eyes widen as she charged. Hands out in front of her, she formed icicles on her fingers. She almost closed her eyes, but she had to face what came next. She rolled in the air, stretching out a hand. All she had to do was draw blood. She didn't have to strike a fatal blow. She reached out for Azula's ankle, her calf, anything. _ Just a little blood. _

Azula swept her hands down from her sides, gathering flames like a shield. As Katara stretched her arm, Azula screamed and stumbled back. Katara screamed too, pushing forward in desperation, reaching out.

Just as her ice began to graze Azula's ankle, Katara was blinded by an explosion of white light. A shock wave blew her backwards, slamming her firmly into the ground. She couldn't see. That was her first thought. Her second was that she couldn't hear either, because her ears were ringing so loud that her head spun. She lay on her back, trying to catch her breath and regain her bearings. The ringing in her ears slowly faded, but she couldn't move or see. The first thing she heard was Azula's high, clear laughter. She felt hands on her shoulders, on her chin, on her forehead.

That was when the pain signals finally began to make their way to her brain. A soft tingling sensation emerged across her face and quickly morphed into a tight, searing pain. She had been burned before, cooking at home in her village, and Aang had lost control once and burned her hand badly. Burns were, to her, the worst type of hurt, and her face at this moment was a whole new level of pain. She tried to reach her hands up to touch it, but someone held her down. She screamed, sobbed, wailed in agony. She needed water. She had discovered her healing abilities when Aang burned her; she didn't know if this injury was too severe for her abilities but she could help it at least a little. _Just a little water. _She tried to speak, but no words would come. Then someone pressed a cloth firmly to the center of the pain, and there was no more trying. She sank gratefully into unconsciousness.

Azula stretched, worn out by all her bending. That kind of burst she had used at the end were no small feat, even for the Fire Lord's daughter. She pointed her feet, one at a time, limbering her calf muscles. As she stretched the right foot, a single drip of blood oozed down her ankle. "Oh, look at that," she said quietly to Mai, who had seen it too, "I must have gotten a scratch."

"It doesn't matter," said Mai flatly. "It's clear who won."


	6. Darkness

_Chapter Five_

Katara dreamed that she was swimming. Not in the frigid Southern waters, but in a lake with Sokka, Aang, Toph, and Zuko. Even Momo backstroked through the lapping waves. They were all splashing each other, laughing and choking on the clear water. Katara increased the waves, swinging her arms back and forth, back and forth. One broke right on Sokka, who went under gasping. Toph backed closer to shore; she wouldn't let her feet break contact with the ground.

As the waves calmed again, Zuko floated serenely on his back. Aang was floating as well, but he was facedown and hovering a few inches above the surface of the water. Sokka and Toph sat on the shore, surrounded by a pile of meat and eating to their hearts' content. Katara was happy. She was here, with her closest friends, literally in her element. She took a deep breath and dove underwater. It was peaceful. There were brightly colored fish and plants, and bubbles floated before her eyes. She laughed, expelling huge bubbles of her own. Somehow she knew she didn't need to breathe. Pushing her hands in front of her, she sliced thorugh the water and paddled with her feet.

Something glittering caught her eye. It was on the bottom of the lake, some sort of jewelry. It was beautiful. She kicked harder, propelling herself deeper and stretching out her hand. She grasped a smooth golden edge and pulled it out of the sand. It was a Fire Nation royal hair ornament. Had Zuko lost it? She looked upward to the surface and pushed off the sand. But she didn't make it far. The ornament was chained to something buried deeper. Katara let go of the metal flame, letting it float strangely as she explored the sand again.

She dug, exhausting herself, trying to find the end of the chain. As she stopped digging, she wiped sand from her eyes and touched the flame again. It was hot. She jerked her hand back. The ornament glowed brightly, radiating heat until Katara was uncomfortably warm. She had to get back to her friends; forget the chain. She paddled upward, but the waters kept getting hotter and hotter. She must be nearing the surface, but it didn't seem to be getting closer. The water must boil soon, she thought, it was so hot. She called for help, but of course her words burst as bubbles before her eyes. She wasn't going to make it. It was so hot, she was burning. _Burning_...

The burning pain grew stronger and more solid, pulling her out of the dream. She moaned again, she couldn't help it. She wondered if her eyes were bandaged or swollen shut; she still could not see. When she tried again to reach up to her face, she found that her arms were bound. Then her body was jolted and there was a loud splashing noise. She realized she must be on a ship to the Fire Nation. Vomit started to rise in her throat, but she forced it down. She could not panic. Not yet. She had to have priorities, and right now it was the agony of her entire face.

Ty Lee's voice came from somewhere near. "You're going to be all right. You lost the duel, but you'll live. Azula burned you pretty bad, though. You've been sleeping for a few days now."

"Water," whispered Katara. A few days? How could she hope to escape now? But she was holding it together, she could do this. "Please, I need water."

"Oh, here!" She heard Ty Lee leap up, glass clanked, and then something was pressing against her lips. A straw. Katara drank gratefully, then clarified her request.

"Please, I can heal. If you untie my hands I can try to heal my burns. Please." The last word was less spoken and more of a breathy moan. It was so hard not to cry. She wanted to fall back asleep, and if she never woke up...

But Ty Lee's fingers were at her wrists, and the ropes were falling away. Splashing near her shoulder told Katara that Ty Lee had moved a basin to her side. Ty Lee helped her sit up, and she eased her hands into the basin. Cool water covered her fingers, but one pinky, sticking out oddly, caught the side of the bowl. She hadn't noticed the pain in comparison to her face, but now it was back. She swirled the water around her hand with her bending. She would heal the finger as a warm-up. The pain at its base faded quickly, and she flexed the finger gently. Feeling it with the other hand, she thought it felt as though it was still at an odd angle. She must have healed it crooked. At any rate, it was no longer broken and it didn't hurt.

Now on to the bigger problem. Her head was bandaged; Ty Lee pulled the dressings off carefully, but it still pulled terribly at the tender flesh. Katara leaned forward slowly, pausing to let her head stop spinning, and pressed her face into the water. She almost sobbed with relief. Even before she started the healing process, the coolness eased the pain a bit. Katara didn't know what she was doing. She had never healed anything very serious before. All she knew was that something needed to happen.

Breathing deeply, she curled her fingers close to her cheeks and followed her instincts. The burns were deep, but she was able to speed its healing along. She paid special attention to her eyelids, ensuring that they were not scarring shut. By the time that was done and she had healed the entire area enough to dull the pain, she was exhausted. She sat up, dripping, and Ty Lee cried out.

"That's amazing! It's such a useful ability, I'm really impressed." Katara heard more splashing and the scrape of a new basin being pulled up. She leaned forward for a second round. This time, she really tried to _feel _the problem. Returning to her eyelids, she healed them as far as she could. They were the most important part that she was confident in fixing. Sensing the eyes themselves, she felt sick again. There was something wrong, but she had no idea how to go about fixing it. She did her best but didn't know how much good it did.

Finally, having done all she could, she steeled herself and ran her fingertips across the extent of the damage. The burns extended from her right ear to the outside corner of her left eye. It was thickest on her right cheek, narrowed over the bridge of her nose, then curled at the far edge to leave a ridged trail down her left cheek. Her right eyebrow and the inner half of the left were gone.

Hoping against hope, she sat up once more. No, she still couldn't see. Her tears were hidden by the moisture on her face. She didn't wipe any of it off.

"Amazing," breathed Ty Lee, "you'll have scars still, but now you look like you've had weeks to heal. Do you want the bandages replaced?" Katara shook her head, laying down carefully. She felt a blanket being pulled over her. A slow intake of breath made Katara think that Ty Lee was going to say something else, but instead footsteps and a closing door told her that she was alone in the room. Not that it mattered. She wouldn't be spying on anyone anytime soon.


	7. Sentencing

_Chapter Six_

They docked in the Fire Nation the next day. Katara spent the intervening hours alone in her room. She got up once and tried to explore, but it was too much; she tried to feel her way around, but on the pitching ship she was too unsteady. She passed the time alternately sitting and laying on the floor mat, occasionally crying a little and praying to the Moon that her eyesight just needed time to heal.

She also had time to do a lot of thinking, mostly about her friends. Had Aang, Sokka, and Toph rendezvoused with Uncle Iroh yet? What did they think had happened to her? She wondered how long they had looked for her, if they had somehow found out how she had been captured. Would she see them again? At this she shook her head violently. _Of course I will, _she told herself firmly, biting back tears. _I will see them again. I will. See them._

When the ship docked with a metal clang, she jerked upright. Wringing her hands, she listened to the suddenly increased activity on board. Doors slammed, boots stomped, and cargo boxes were slid across the deck. Then the door to Katara's room creaked open. She tensed up instantly in the second it took for stomping foots to cross the floor. A rough gloved hand grasped her arm harshly, yanking her up. She stumbled, refusing to cry out even as she was pulled full-long into the soldier's armor.

The soldier pulled her roughly down the ship's hallways, up a flight of stairs, and into the open air. She could feel a breeze again, cool on her still-aching burns and she relished it for a moment, tilting her chin up, before she was jerked forward again. As they disembarked, her foot landed on the edge of the ramp and she nearly tumbled into the harbor. She swung her free arm desperately to bend the water below her, but her other arm was heaved back up.

She gasped in pain, and the soldier swung her around and grasped her roughly by the shoulders. "If you waterbend, girl, it will be twice as bad for you," he growled menacingly, giving her a shake. She nodded dumbly, head spinning. How did Toph do it? Oh, right. She basically had superpowers. Katara had never wished for power over a different element, but just then she would almost have traded her power over water for the ability to see like Toph. As it was, she stumbled, tripped, and faltered beside the soldier, who maintained his firm grip on her arm.

She could hear crowds of people surrounding them, pressing in and calling out to the soldiers, cheering as they paraded through the street. Katara caught snippets of voices shouting out to sell their wares, ask for coins, and generally to celebrate the ship's homecoming. There were even a few cries of "_waterbender!_" Then the shouting turned gradually to murmuring, and Katara heard whispers of "_the princess," "Azula." _And the murmurs turned to silence. There were softer noises now, fabric swishing and footsteps as people moved back from the army parade. Katara moved blindly onward, propelled by the man at her side.

She didn't know how long they walked, but she was exhausted. It was so hard to place her feet without knowing what to expect. Every step was psychological torture, wondering if she would fall or slip or sprain her ankle. And she did stumble quite often, lurching forward and being jerked backwards by a strong hand bruising her bicep. The soldiers took turns walking with her, switching off periodically. None of them spoke to her, but there were a few who seemed sympathetic; they did not growl or mutter to themselves when she fell. Others did, but Katara did not respond. She also made it through the day without crying. She had never been an overly weepy girl, but then again this situation was way worse than anyone would expect to encounter.

Eventually the road made a sharp turn and Katara felt the ground sloping up a hill. Her toes kept stumping into the cobblestones. It was a short climb, and then they came to a halt. There was shouting up ahead, a grinding of metal, and they were off again. "Welcome to the palace, water peasant," muttered the soldier currently at her side. She realized suddenly that it was a woman, but her grip on Katara's arm was no less resolved than any of the men's had been. Her heart rate quickened even more, but she held her head up and kept marching even when she stumbled.

The cobblestones turned to smooth floor tiles that echoed with the army's footsteps. Katara was led dizzily through twisting hallways, hearing doors open and close all around, tittering voices of women, children laughing. The deeper they went into the palace, the fewer sounds there were, until the only noise was a constant roaring of flames. Katara stood stock still, unsure exactly where the fire was. Then a voice spoke ahead of her. Azula.

"We have returned with the waterbender, Father." Her chilling voice echoed off stone walls. "She was no challenge to capture, and the sport is still going strong."

_Father?_ Katara's blood ran cold at the thought of the Firelord. He was here? And then a male voice came from farther ahead. "Bring her here." Chills ran down Katara's whole body as she was forced forward and to her knees. There was a long silence, during which Katara tried to keep her breathing under control.

"She is damaged." The Firelord spoke without inflection, in an even tone, but even so he sounded purely dangerous. He did not ask a question, but an answer was plainly expected.

"There was trouble, Father," Azula replied. "She insulted my honor and I _succeeded _in regaining it. It is not serious." Katara felt her face burn.

"Fine. We will put her into the dungeons for now." Ozai still gave his words no inflection. Azula gasped.

"The _dungeons?_" she hissed. "I thought you would punish her in public. Make her friends suffer with her! Lure them in to a trap with her as bait!" Katara bit her lips and squeezed her eyes closed. Would it work? Would Aang and Sokka and Toph come for her, or would they focus on keeping Aang safe? They hadn't gone back for Zuko. But that wasn't fair of her -

The silence was tense, waiting for Ozai's reply. "I have plans for all of her friends, Azula. You are doing well at capturing their little group, but until I have all of them - including the Avatar - I will do with her as I see fit. And for now she will wait in the dungeons with the rest of my prisoners. You are dismissed."

The Fire Princess's knees hit the ground with a thud as she bowed low to her father. "Of course," she murmured. And then, louder in a biting tone, "Commander Chin! Have one of your men escort the water peasant to the main dungeons!"

Her footsteps echoed out of the chamber until a door slammed, and then the rest of the army moved. Katara was pulled upright once more by the female soldier, and shoved through a passageway. She had no way to see the stairway, so when her foot hit empty air she pitched forward, only to be yanked back by the soldier's hand on the back of her dress. She picked her way gingerly down the rest of the steps, feeling the temperature drop with each footfall.


	8. The Dungeons

_Chapter Seven_

After a few more twists and turns, the soldier stopped. Katara heard clanking metal, the rasp of a key slipping into a lock, and the scrape of a door swinging open. She was shoved through, and the hand left her upper arm. For the first time since leaving her solitary room on the ship, she was alone and without a guide. She stood still as the door shut behind her, listening hard. Mutters started up, echoing hollowly. It sounded as though she was in a huge room, high-ceilinged and filled spottily with clusters of people. The voice of an old woman spoke at her side.

"Don't just stand there, girl," she barked. "You're here and you're stuck. Take control of yourself and make a way to live. Your time's not going to spend itself." Katara felt something being shoved into her hands and grasped it instinctively. It felt like a blanket, frayed and patched but a surprisingly thick bundle for a prison. "Go on," the woman commanded.

Katara didn't move. She took a deep breath but didn't know what to say. Then another voice spoke. "I think she's blind, Wata. She's confused." It was a young man's voice.

"Blind, eh?" The woman's voice might have been a little softer. "Well, go find her a spot. She'll get used to it like everyone else."

Someone got to their feet, and footsteps approached Katara. "Um, I'm going to touch your arm." A hand gently rested on her shoulder. "Let's go - there's an empty space in a corner up this way." They walked together in silence. Katara counted fifty steps until her feet hit something soft rather than stones.

"Here." The hand left her arm and took the blanket from her. He unfolded it by snapping it into the air, and Katara felt a breeze as he let it drift to the floor. "You can live here. It's got this mat, so you don't have to lay right on the stone. You're not Fire Nation, are you?"

Katara shook her head. "I'm Water Tribe." She didn't know what else to way, or what to do. This was all too much.

"So you might be used to the cold. That's what I was going to say - it gets really cold down here sometimes. If it's too much, people either huddle up or find a firebender to warm them. Which I am, by the way. So if you need me, I guess just yell for me. People will get over it if they don't like it."

"What's your name?" Her voice was hoarse; this was the first conversation she'd had in a week. She didn't know this guy, but she didn't want him to leave.

"Oh, sorry." He laughed. It was the first friendly laugh she'd heard since her capture. "I'm Djang. The friendly old woman who gave you the blanket is Wata. She's kind of unofficially in charge of the dungeons. The inner workings, that is. She's always right there by the doors, and she knows everything that's going on all the time." She felt Djang stand move away from her, and she sank down onto the blanket.

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling the ragged cloth with her fingertips. He was the first person to show her kindness in weeks, and Katara found herself fighting back tears of exhaustion and, perversely, relief. She was _relieved _to be in this dungeon rather than in the middle of an army camp. The realization made her realize just how much she had changed in the past days.

"You're welcome," Djang replied softly. She wondered if he knew what she was thinking. "I'll come back tonight to check on you, if you want."

She raised her head, hoping her face was pointed towards him, and smiled cautiously. "That would be nice."

And he did come to check on her that night. He sat next to her on her blanket and they talked for quite a while. He had lived in the dungeons for nearly three years - since he was Katara's age, in fact. He had refused to join the Fire Nation army, and he had been sent here until he changed his mind. He told her that he was called up periodically to speak with a soldier; they would take him to a banquet hall set with rich food and ask him if he was ready yet. But every time so far he had turned them down.

Katara found herself opening up to him, talking about Sokka and Toph and Aang. She even mentioned Zuko before she thought to question whether this was a good idea in a Fire Nation dungeon. But then she reconsidered. "Zuko was captured months ago," she told Djang. "Did you hear anything about that? Or about what happened to him?"

His voice sounded shocked. "Yes - of course. He was sent down here as well."

"Down _here_?" Katara was stunned. She sat bolt upright, scrambling with her hands for something to hold on to and finding only the edge of her mat. "He's here? In the dungeons? Where?"

A hand fell on top of her own. "He was here for almost two months, on and off. They would leave him here for a week or two, then he would be taken up into the palace for a few days, or a week, once. He wouldn't say exactly why, but it was something similar to what they do to me - you know, checking to make sure which side we're still on. About two weeks ago, soldiers came down and got him like usual. Only they haven't brought him back yet. It's the longest he's been kept up there." Djang's voice trailed off.

"But he always comes back, right?" Katara knew it was crazy, but she felt the beginnings of hope warming in her chest. _He wasn't dead. _"They always send him back down here - that's what you said!"

"They always have before," he said carefully. "But there's always a chance he changed his answer when they asked him what he wanted, or -"

"No," Katara said firmly. "He's been through too much at the hands of his father. I know him. He wouldn't change his mind."

There was a long pause in the conversation. Djang sighed. "I hope you're right. And believe me, as much as I'd like everyone to get out of here, I really hope he comes back, too." He squeezed her hand, then let go. The mat squeaked as he stood up beside her. "I have to go, but like I said before, if you need me just give a yell. It's been nice talking to you, Katara."

"And with you," she replied. As his footsteps sounded farther and farther away, she thought about the possibility that neither of them had said - that Zuko's latest choice had been his last chance. _But he's not dead, _she told herself firmly. He's never been away this long, so he must be coming back soon.

When she lay down on the mat, folding the blanket around her, she curled into a ball and scooted so close to the wall that her knees and forehead were touching it. Then she breathed deeply, calming herself. She lay there, absorbed in the sounds echoing throughout the dungeons. There were a lot of sleeping noises - heavy breathing, snores, creaking mats, a few hushed whispers stirring the air, and under it all a low omnipresent hum, which Djang had said came from hot water pipes on one of the far walls. Despite the new surroundings and her fear, sleep stole upon her almost instantly, and she sank gratefully into it, utterly exhausted.


	9. A New Kind of Normal

_Chapter Eight_

Her days in the prison passed slowly, melting into dragging weeks. The hardest part was finding ways to spend her time. With Djang's help, she memorized a route to walk, which took her around the whole dungeon while avoiding other residents' areas. After walking it with Djang twice a day for a week, she felt confident enough to go by herself, counting every step and reciting the pattern to herself the whole time. Her boots had been taken from her; as she felt her way along with her bare feet she thought wryly of Toph. A few people who lived along her route had even left her little landmarks: a scrap of blanket glued to the floor to remind her to turn left at the first corner, a smooth rock propped against the wall to warn her that the steam pipes were close ahead. She avoided that backmost wall; the pipes were insulated and did not put off heat, but the noise bothered her and prisoners were banned from getting too close anyway.

Besides walking around, there wasn't much she could do. Other prisoners visited one another, but she had no way to wander around and make acquaintances unless someone guided her. A few neighbors came to her mat once or twice to offer help or pass on information, but only Djang really spent time with her. He would walk her to other mats every once in a while, usually close to the dungeon entrance. She found that the closer to the door you got, the more crowded it was. People laid their mats next to each other like a little city. The old woman, Wata, lived closest to the doors and acted as a liaison of sorts with the soldiers who came seeking prisoners. The people who lived around her spent their time moving between mats and chatting with their neighbors. Many had lived in the dungeons for years.

Many prisoners had work details outside the dungeon. Every morning soldiers would come to collect them for their jobs, which according to Djang ranged from heavy labor to copying propaganda posters and creating art. Some brought parchment and brushes back to practice overnight; late at night, Katara could hear the scratching of ink onto paper from a nearby mat.

Sometimes she practiced waterbending, carefully and in secret. Bending of any kind was forbidden within the dungeons. If firebenders helped other prisoners warm up, a blind eye was turned, but any visible bending was punished immediately and effectively. Katara supposed there were soldiers watching from the doors, and Djang had quietly hinted that there were informants living inside the dungeons, who alerted the Fire Nation to any wrongdoing. But if she listened carefully and was sure nobody was around, and if she was so painfully bored that she couldn't stand it anymore, she would gently call up some moisture from the walls and feel the drops rolling around her fingers. It soothed her to feel and manipulate the water, even if she couldn't practice big moves with her whole body.

Djang caught her, one time. She was concentrating hard, trying to make a glove out of water droplets without the droplets merging. A lot of her bending these days was focused on control. Frivolous water-drop gloves would never be useful, but making them was inconspicuous and required a lot of attention and time.

"Katara!" A strong hand grabbed her water-covered wrist and jerked it sharply. She gasped in surprise and flung herself back, flat on the mat and out of Djang's grasp. "What are you doing?'' His voice was a harsh whisper, tinged with fear. "Are you crazy?" Her mat squeaked as he knelt down. He sighed and she imagined him rubbing his forehead like Sokka always did when he was anxious. She stayed flat on her back, breathing hard with the sudden adrenaline rush from the terror of being surprised like that. "I'm sorry," he told her after a moment. "I shouldn't have grabbed you."

She still didn't speak for a moment, but she sat up and rubbed her wrist. There was a long silence. "It didn't hurt," she admitted. "You just scared me." He started to apologize again, but she cut him off. "No, you were right. I knew I shouldn't have, but it's so hard."

"I know the feeling," he reminded her. "I've firebended once in almost three years. _Once. _And that _one _time, I was caught. And then I was punished, and believe me, it's not something I want to happen to you. Or anyone else." His fingertips brushed her wrist, gently this time, and he took her hand. Katara had never been much of a touchy person, but it was really the only way she could connect with people now. She let him hold her fingers, felt him turn her hand over to check for bruises. "I'm sorry, again."

"It's fine," she said softly. "I won't do it again." The promise burned in her throat. She couldn't live without waterbending. It was part of her, a pull that thrummed through her veins just as strongly as blood. "I tried to be careful," she told him pleadingly, "I didn't hear you coming."

"And if I hadn't been looking right at you, it wouldn't have been noticeable," he told her. "Your bending is easy to hide. It's kind of obvious when a jet of fire comes shooting out of my hand. If you could just keep an eye out - " He broke off abruptly. "I'm sorry, I - "

"It's okay," she replied, and to her own surprise it was. It stung, having him point her blindness out so bluntly, but it was an honest statement. It was hard to believe that she hadn't _seen _in almost a month. But - and this terrified her more than the blindness itself at this point - she was actually starting to get used to it. "You're right - completely. It's stupid of me to try to keep a secret when I can't even see if I'm being watched."

He was silent for a moment. "Well," he started, and then paused again, "next time you feel some uncontrollable urge to bend, let me know. I'll keep watch for you."

"What?"

"If you want to practice - very rarely, and very inconspicuously - I'll sit with you and talk and make sure no one else can see. But _not _often and _not _if I say it's not safe." His voice was low and rough, with an edge almost like a threat.

"Thank you," she said, stunned. "That would be... nice." She cringed inwardly. It would be much more than 'nice', of course. "I'll take you up on that sometime - don't worry, I'll wait a while. But Djang, I mean - " she broke off again, "thank you."

He didn't answer, but there was a beat of silence before Katara heard his footsteps retreating slowly. She sat there on her mat, feeling ashamed. She really had been stupid. "UGH!" she screamed suddenly. She punched the wall. The Fire Nation had taken everything from her - her parents so long ago, her vision, her freedom and friends, and now she couldn't even bend a drop of water without fear. What more could they do? Not for the first time, she felt hot tears burning trails down her cheeks.

On top of the low murmur that always encompassed the crowded area near the door, she heard even more of a ruckus. Above several excited voices, she hear the sounds of someone running and Djang cry out "stop!" The running footsteps neared her area and she turned towards them, expecting to hear them pass by. Instead, the footsteps reached her mat and suddenly someone was on top of her. She was too shocked to scream as strong arms encircled her body, pulling her upright and squeezing tight. Her whole body tensed, adrenaline flooding her brain. She flailed her arms, straining against the strong grip of her assailant. Then just as suddenly as the arms had encircled her, they were wrenched away, and she fell back to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Djang was shouting. He must have pulled the other person away. His voice was furious. "Listen to me -" She vaguely registered a muffled angry conversation as she leapt back to her feet. Her mind was racing. She was usually ready to defend herself and jump into a fight when she needed to, but she didn't know what to do. She couldn't _see _what to do.

"Djang?" she cried out. Her face was stinging cold along the tracks of her tears and more tears still burned in her eyes. She stepped off the edge of the mat, listening hard to try and pinpoint exactly where he was. "Djang?"

"I'm sorry." He was to her left, several paces away, and his voice was still strained with anger. "I tried to hold him back, but he refused to -"

"Katara." A second voice spoke from Djang's side. A voice that made her heart leap in shock.

"Zuko?" she whispered.


	10. Reunion

_Chapter Nine_

Her hands were still outstretched in front of her, feeling for obstacles. She felt another pair of hands capture hers, gently this time. She jumped just a bit and the hands hesitated but then clasped tightly.

"I'm sorry." It was him. He was okay. She didn't know what to say. Her mouth was hanging open and her head kept shaking. She couldn't believe it.

"You better be sorry, you idiot," Djang cut in furiously. "Do you realize how badly you scared her? Who do you think you are?" He was partly right, Katara thought; her heart was still pounding uncomfortably and her head was spinning - but that might partly be from shock now.

"I didn't know!" Zuko's grip tightened on her hands. "Katara, I am so, so sorry. Please - I don't even know what to say, but I'm sorry." His voice almost sounded choked up. She squeezed his hands back, taking another step closer. She pulled her hands out of his grip gently, putting her hands up higher. When they touched his shirt, she took another step, putting her arms around him. She felt him slowly embrace her as well.

And then she was crying. And unless she was very much mistaken, so was Zuko. They stood for a moment. Katara never wanted to let go. Here was someone who knew her, where she came from and who she really was. Someone she had feared dead. And here they were, in this cold, dank dungeon, and she couldn't even see him. Distantly, she registered Djang's footsteps retreating to his own area. Eventually, she felt Zuko's arms loosen. She held on for a moment longer, then stepped back. "Do you want to sit?" she asked awkwardly. What could she say in a situation like this?

There was a pause before he uttered a clipped "oh - yes." Wondering if he had nodded his agreement before realizing he had to speak, she stepped backwards twice, finding the edge of her mat with her heel, and sank down onto it. She turned her head down and away and felt her hair swing down in front of her face. Hesitantly, Zuko brushed it back behind her ear. He didn't ask, though, and she wondered how much he knew about her scars.

She opened her mouth to ask if he had heard the story, but something very different came out. "What do they look like?" Her question was a whisper, shocking her more than it seemed to faze Zuko.

She had run her fingertips over the scars many times. She knew they were mostly smooth, except for her right cheek, which was rippled and puckered, but she needed to know how other people saw her now. "How do you mean?" Zuko sounded unsurprised by her question. She didn't know how to ask. She opened her mouth but closed it again, just shaking her head. She closed her eyes, fighting more tears. There was a beat of silence, then Zuko spoke evenly. "They're shiny and pink, lighter around the very edge and darkest here -" his fingertip traced down the side of her nose and across her cheek - "and here." It continued up along the lower edge of her eye. "Those spots are more red," he added. "The rims of your eyes are not as bad. You got lucky; they're just a little scarred."

"I healed them," she told him. She thought about what he had said, tracing the contours of her scar with her own fingertips. "Thank you." She hoped he knew how sincere she was and how much his honesty meant to her. But then, he must know how it felt when people lied about him to his face.

He said nothing, and she wondered, as she often did when people went silent, if he was nodding at her again. After a moment she asked the question she had originally meant to. "Did you hear about how it happened?"

"I heard bits and pieces," he admitted. "I heard that you fought Azula and that she burned you. I didn't know you were..." His voice trailed off.

"Blind?" Her voice was harsher than she intended. "No, it's fine. It's the truth."

"I thought you saw me when I was running towards you," he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you so badly." She had been wondering about his unusual display of affection. Now he explained, "I had heard you were injured, and it had been so long since I'd seen you - any of you. Where are Aang and Sokka and Toph? Did you see my uncle before you were brought here?"

"Ty Lee captured me while I was away from camp and they brought me here alone - Azula said they had orders to bring us in one by one. We hadn't made it to Iroh yet, but the others should have arrived more than two weeks ago, I think. But what happened to you? We were so..." She thought a moment. 'Worried' wasn't the right word. "We didn't know what to do," she finished. "They hit us with some kind of gas that really messed us up. By the time Sokka and I could walk around without gasping for breath, we had no idea where to start looking for you. I'm sorry -"

"Katara," Zuko interrupted, "stop. There's nothing you could have done. I was running one minute, and the next thing I knew I was waking up on a ship headed straight for Caldera City."

"What happened then?" She didn't know if he would want to talk about it, but she couldn't stop herself from asking. "Djang said you've been in and out of the dungeons. What do they want from you?"

He took a moment to answer. "They want... different things. They want me to tell them about you and Aang. Did you know you're almost as famous as the Avatar?" His voice lilted a bit with humor. "They don't know much about Sokka and Toph - anything, really. And don't worry, I didn't tell them anything. When we got to the palace, I had a huge gash and a swollen bruise on my head. I think someone must have kicked me or hit me with a rock."

"A soldier kicked you," she told him, "after you fell."

"Ah, good to know. Anyway, it was obvious that I had a head injury and it was already making me nauseous and unsteady, so I just went ahead and pretended the damage was a little worse than it actually was."

"You told them you lost your memory?" She couldn't believe they would believe such a thing.

"Not all of it," he told her. "Just the last week or so before I was captured. I told them the last I remembered we were heading to an Air Temple, but that I couldn't remember which one. I just conveniently forgot to mention that Sokka and Toph existed at all. They keep taking me to different places, trying to make me let something slip about Aang's plans. Usually I'm just kept upstairs in the family wing, but they've taken me to an Earth Kingdom outpost a few times. I think they were trying to see if I was worried they were on to something, and the first time we headed into the Earth Kingdom I have to admit I was nervous. But I don't think I gave anything away."

"Is that where you've been these last few weeks?"

"No." His voice was suddenly bitter. "There was a military tour through the Fire Nation, and I was the royal representative. The Fire Nation thinks I've returned to help my father, so the royal advisers dressed me up and paraded me around to prove it."

"But they're keeping you in the dungeons?" She was confused. "Why aren't they trying to reclaim you for real?"

"They know I won't support them," he said simply. "They want me as a puppet, but my father is scared of what I would do if I wasn't locked up. He doesn't want me up in my chambers, even under guard. No one who knows about it will give anything away; they're too scared of what will happen to their families if the Fire Lord finds out who told."

Katara nodded silently. It was a lot to take in. A tentative touch to the back of her hand made her jump, but she quickly recovered, embarrassed, and reached back down to take his hand.


	11. Suspicions

_Chapter Ten_

They talked a while more, about everything that had happened in the past three months.

She yawned, wondering how long they had been talking and how late it was. Of course, time was not something she had clear ideas of now. She usually just went by the noise levels in the dungeon. At that moment, she thought it must be very late, because nearly all of the voices had eventually fallen silent for the night.

"Where is your sleeping area?" she asked. She felt her cheeks grow warm. She felt terribly weak for thinking it, but she hoped he would be close.

He hesitated. "You're actually in it," he told her. "Whenever I leave, Wata gives my spot away. She doesn't like me very much." He snorted. "So when you showed up and my mat was empty, she must have given it to you. This was probably the best one I had," he added. "It's far enough away from the door to avoid everyone."

_Djang gave it to me, not Wata, _she thought. "So where are you going to sleep?" Her voice was steady but soft. _Please, close by._

"I hadn't thought about it," he admitted. "I kind of got distracted, but I'm sure there's another mat somewhere, maybe over by the steam pipes. If not, I'll find a spot on the floor."

"Or you could stay here," she said slowly. The mats were much bigger than one person needed to sleep. Some held four or five people. There was one near the door where a family of six lived; she didn't know why they were there, but the thought of children growing up in this place sickened her. "There's room," she added, feeling herself blush again.

There was a beat, then he said, "that's fine with me, if you want me here."

Embarrassed, she quickly stammered, "I mean, if you don't, I'll be fine. I just - I thought it might be nice to be... nearby."

"It would," he replied. "There's plenty of room, like you said. We probably had less room in some of those caves we've slept in with Appa."

She laughed with relief. "You're right. Do you have a blanket?"

"I'll get one." The mat squeaked as he stood up. "I'll be right back." She heard him walk away. She rearranged her own blanket, piling it up at one end for a pillow. When footsteps started back her way, she stood up.

"I don't know where you wanted -" she started, but she was interrupted.

"You _want_ him to sleep here?" It was Djang.

"What?" She jumped back a little, startled. "You surprised me," she said accusingly.

"I just need to make sure you _want _him here," he said tersely. "He's not coercing you into this?"

She realized what he meant. "Djang, no!" The slight blush she had felt when she asked Zuko to share her mat was nothing compared to the fire in her cheeks now. "These mats are huge! Of course I want him here - I'm the one who suggested it! What do you think I - who do you think I am?"

"It's not you I'm wary of," he told her. "I'm worried _for _you. How can we know, when it comes to the Fire Lord's son?"

She could feel the rippled scar on her cheek stretching uncomfortably as she narrowed her eyes. "I _do _know Zuko," she said angrily. She stepped towards him. "And I don't know how you've lived so close to him on and off for months without learning anything about him, but if you think he would do _anything _like what you are daring to suggest -"

"Katara?" Zuko was back. "Djang," he said cooly.

"Zuko. I was just leaving." Djang stepped backwards once, then stopped. "Katara, I'm sorry," he said flatly. "That was wrong of me. Good night."

Zuko waited to speak until Djang's footsteps had receded. Unfurling the blanket he had retrieved from Wata, he asked his question carefully. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," Katara said firmly. She lay down on the mat and pulled her blanket snugly around her. The temperature in the dungeons had dropped steadily over the weeks since Katara arrived, and the frayed blanket was becoming less and less sufficient. "Good night." She heard him lay down as well. She turned over a few times, trying to get comfortable, but she didn't hear Zuko move once. "Zuko?" He hummed an acknowledgement. "I've missed you," she whispered.

"I've missed you, too," he replied softly. "Good night, Katara."

Katara closed her eyes and tugged the blanket tighter, drifting off in seconds into a deep and peaceful sleep.


	12. Transformations

_Chapter Eleven_

It was better with Zuko around. He had no duties to attend to, unlike Djang, so he was at Katara's side nearly all the time. She showed him her path around the dungeons, and it became habit to walk it together several times a day. Katara hated the feeling of weakness she was developing in her legs. There were no opportunities to run, no trees to climb or lakes to jump into and swim; her muscles felt loose and heavy. Zuko told her that he occasionally ran laps around the dungeons, and with his encouragement she agreed to try it, too.

They started slowly, with Zuko holding both of her hands and jogging backwards as she stumbled after him. By the end of the first week, having completed the loop a dozen times a day, she felt confident to hold just one of his hands, and they ran side by side.

"Left in three," Zuko would say, and after two steps they would veer that way. "Mats ahead," and they would slow and quiet down. As they jogged the final length before their mat, she tried to judge their position.

"Now?" she asked, but he said not. Five steps later, she asked again. "Now?" At his confirmation, she dropped his hand and leapt to the right, landing in a crouch on the folded corner of her blanket. The material slipped beneath her feet and she lost contact with the ground - that is, until she hit the mat face first.

Heart racing from the shock of her feet going out from under her, she rolled over and laughed. She wasn't hurt, and she couldn't be upset with herself after that run. Zuko didn't speak, but she imagined his crooked smile as he stepped more gingerly onto the mat. She sat up and he sank down beside her. Her breath came heavily - she wasn't used to exercise anymore - but his was steady. "Thanks," she said, grinning widely. "That was amazing. I feel -" Her voice trailed off and her smile faded as she realized that she felt _good. _She was _happy _at this moment, here of all places, in these cold, dark dungeons. How had she gotten to this point? She shook her head. "It was good," she finished it an incredulous voice.

Zuko still didn't speak. The silence was comforting, but Katara broke it. "Can I tell you something?" she asked. He murmured his assent, but she took a moment before continuing. "You know what scares me the most? It's not... It's not the Fire Nation soldiers. It's not being here in the dungeons. It's not even being blind. What scares me the most is that I think I'm getting used to it. I'm _accepting _it - but I don't want to. It feels like I'm giving up on - on everything. On who I used to be, who I want to be. I mean, I'm so happy right now because I just got to run _blindly _around a dungeon. And two months ago I would have told you that I could never feel happiness in a prison, and never appreciate life without being able to see it. But now I've changed. And I can tell, and it scares me."

When she finished, she took a shaky breath. She had needed that; she wasn't even sure she had known exactly what the problem was before she had said it out loud. Tilting her head back, she bit her bottom lip. Somehow she was expecting it when his hand covered hers.

"Nothing can ruin your life unless you let it," he said quietly. "Trust me, you can get through much more than you think you can, as long as you stay strong and remember who you really are. People can try to tell you who to be, but only you get to decide for sure." As she was thinking this over, Zuko snorted softly. "Oh, if only Uncle could hear me now."

Katara felt her grin returning, and this time she let it. She laughed out loud as Zuko spoke again in a slow, breathy voice. "Nephew, you are at last so wise. Now if only you had the proper respect for the service and art of tea." Zuko's quiet laugh joined hers.

"Do you remember," she asked between giggles, "when Momo ate all those herbs he had been collecting for days?"

"And he didn't get to experiment with them in his drinks? I've never seen Uncle move so fast, even when he was leading an army. Didn't he go _up _the tree after Momo?" Soon they were leaning against each other, shoulder to shoulder, and laughing at memories of happy times. Katara clenched her arms around her belly, feeling tears of mirth run down her cheeks. Eventually they stopped speaking and let their laughter die down. Katara laid back, still grinning broadly, with her stomach aching from amusement.

Zuko stretched out on his back too. His hand touched hers again, but this time it was not to comfort or calm her. Katara felt her breath catch as his fingers slowly entwined with hers. They lay side by side in silence for a while. Her heart raced, but not as quickly as her thoughts.

What was happening? This was Zuko, her friend. They had seen each other at their best, and at their worst. They were like siblings. Weren't they? Surely she wasn't okay with this. But Katara wasn't uncomfortable. Her racing heartbeat did not ache with fear, but with excitement. The knot in her stomach wasn't just leftover laughter, but also anticipation. And her hand, where their fingers were intertwined, it felt _right._ Gently, she moved her hand, adjusting her grip so that their hands were fully clasped. Next to her, Zuko let out a shaky breath.

After a few more moments of undefined silence, he turned her hand slowly in his own. "I've been meaning to ask you," he commented, "what happened to your finger?" He rolled over and held her left hand in both of his own, tapping the pinky finger which stuck out at an odd angle.

"I broke it while I was fighting Azula," she told him, "and then I guess I healed it crooked. It doesn't hurt or anything, though."

"Can you move it the same as before?" He used his own fingers to flex hers, and Katara was startled to feel a tingle of electricity where they touched.

"Oh - yes, I think so." She pulled her hand back, flexing the pinky. "Or maybe not," she added, feeling the jerky motion it made as she bent it. She laughed wryly. "I'm really starting to doubt my ability as a healer," she joked. "Bad enough I can't fix my eyes, but broken fingers should be easy."

She _felt _his demeanor change. "Don't even joke about that," he told her quietly. "You can't blame yourself for any of this. None of it."

She didn't answer, but after a moment she nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak; the sudden lump in her throat threatened her with tears if she opened her mouth. Zuko's fingers meshed with hers again, and she welcomed the contact. But she jumped at an unexpected touch on her face. Gently he smoothed her hair out of her eyes, where it laid tangled from her spasms of laughter. His fingertips tucked the loose strands behind her left ear. They didn't linger on her scars or anywhere else, but she caught her breath, suddenly self-conscious. When his fingers moved to the right side of her face, where the worst scars made her skin feel tight and strange, she closed her eyes. He brushed the hair back once, twice, and then he laid his hand fully against the side of her face.

His palm covered her cheek; his pinky brushed the thickened outer edge of her eyelid, and his thumb rested behind her earlobe. She turned her face toward him, slowly. Her heartbeat seemed twice as fast as it had a moment ago. She felt his smooth palm against the rippled, thick skin of her face, and she felt suddenly ashamed.

"Katara." Her eyes opened of their own accord. "You decide your future. Remember that. Nothing can ruin your life unless you let it." The tears came then, despite her best effort to hold them in. She was crying altogether too often these days. She nodded, then, hesitantly, she rolled to her side and raised her own hand. She reached out and brushed against his shoulder. Moving her hand up, she pressed it against his face - _his _scar. She wasn't even sure if she was challenging him or thanking him. He stiffened for just a second, but she felt his cheek move in a slight smile. Then as though at some unspoken signal, they each gently removed their hand from the other's cheek.

"I need to use the bathroom," Katara murmured after a moment. She rose shakily from the mat and found her bearings before starting along her path to the latrine buckets near the steam pipes. When she was done, she made her way back to her mat, unsure of what to expect.

_Where do we go from here?_ she wondered. She didn't know the right answer. All she knew was that she could feel something in her chest. Something alive and warm. It wasn't quite blooming, but it was definitely there, at least a sprout. _You decide your future, _she told herself. She took a deep breath.

When she returned to the mat, Zuko met her with a wary silence. She heard the mat squeak as he shifted his weight, and she sat next to him without speaking. Slowly, she moved her hand, and it landed squarely atop his by some miracle of luck. This time it was Katara who turned Zuko's hand in her own, lacing their fingers together, as she turned her face to his and smiled.


	13. The Report

_Chapter Twelve_

Djang stopped by the next night. Katara hadn't really had a conversation with him since Zuko's arrival nearly a week before. They had spoken in passing, when Katara was walking alone along her path, but more often she was with Zuko.

Now Zuko was off talking to another prisoner, and she wondered if Djang had waited until he was gone to visit her. Gesturing for him to sit, she smiled hesitantly at him. "It's been a while," she commented carefully. She couldn't help but dwell on the last time they had exchanged more than a greeting, on Djang's accusations and suspicion towards Zuko.

Apparently the incident was on Djang's mind as well. "I need to apologize again," he said. "I'm sorry I acted the way I did - I was wrong and I shouldn't have assumed anything. But at the same time," he added as though he couldn't restrain himself, "I'm not sorry that I was trying to protect you." He broke off into a tense silence, waiting for her reply.

"I know," she said finally. "Thank you for your concern." She was careful to keep all sarcasm out of her tone. "I guess I can understand why you might have been worried, but honestly, you were wrong. Can't you try to get to know him?" She truly thought the two would get along if either would give the other a chance.

"I would like to, if he's always going to be with you." Before she could decide if he was being jealous or joking, he continued. "Where is Prince Zuko? I was hoping he would be here."

"He went to visit someone, but he should be back soon," she said. "Why did you want to see him?"

"Oh, I need to speak to you both," he explained. She heard papers rustling in his hands. "I have to turn in a report to the soldiers. Wata's orders." She recoiled instinctively. Djang was the one who told her that some prisoners were spies. Now he was one of them? He guessed her thoughts. "Not that kind of report! It's like a survey." Pages rustled again. "I have to ask everyone sentenced here what they are willing to do for the Fire Nation."

"Nothing," Katara spat out before she could stop herself. There was an awkward silence before Djang continued.

"I have to ask, Katara," he said softly. "Can we get it over with?" At her nod, he began. "All right. These questions will be used to help the Fire Nation army determine your use. Answer honestly but know that you can change your responses at any later time if you remember more information. Now let's start: Name - got it. Female.. Nation - Water Tribe. Identifying characteristics -" He broke off uncomfortably.

"Just write it down," Katara murmured. "I told you, it's the way things are." His pen scratched against the form, then the questions began.

"Will you pledge your allegiance to the Fire Lord and his army, to -"

She didn't let him finish. "No."

"Do you have information on plans to betray the Fire Lord or his army to give in exchange for a reduced sentence?"

"No." Her voice was steel.

"Do you have information on any enemies of the Fire Nation, including but not limited to -"

"How about this," she interrupted again. "For all the questions that ask if I'm going to betray everything and everyone I love, write down _no._"

He snorted with laughter, and she couldn't stop her own lip from twitching. His pen scraped across the page several more times. "Well, _that_ basically covers all but one question. Are you willing to accept a work assignment outside of the dungeons?"

As she opened her mouth to mutter one last _no_, something stopped her. She could leave this place for a while and get some fresh air. She twisted her mouth in thought. _Fresh air. _As near as she could tell, she had been in this cold, damp, underground chamber for almost a month. _Sunshine. Lakes and rivers and clouds full of water._

"How could I be of any use?" she asked Djang. He thought about it.

"Sometimes they just need people to carry things and play pack animal. You could haul a bag and just follow the others, I suppose." She thought about it some more. "Whatever you say, you can change your mind later. But they don't really need your permission to select you for work assignments. They usually do random selection, but when they want people to go without a fight they use these reports to find volunteers."

She nodded. "If I say yes, how soon could it be?"

He hesitated. "Well, it could be any time." Lowering his voice, he advised, "Katara, if you aren't sure, you shouldn't say yes. Like I said, you just let me know if you change your mind and I can adjust the reports."

"All right," she acquiesced. "Put down _no_, for now." As he finished writing, she heard him fold and crease the paper.

"Thanks for cooperating," he said. "I don't know why they keep doing these; nobody wants to give them any more information. Sometimes I think it's just to let the prisoners know they can change their minds. That's usually what happens - someone is in here for a long time until they finally snap and tell the soldiers whatever they want to know."

"And they get their freedom?"

"Depending on how good their information is, yeah. Or, some people decide to enlist in the army, like they want me to do. I suppose that is supposed to count as freedom."

As she was nodding, footsteps approached the mat. Djang rose. "Prince Zuko," he said carefully.

Zuko's voice was cautious. "It's just Zuko. And hello, Djang." There was no accusation in his tone, but Katara felt the tension between the two men.

"Djang has to ask you questions for a report," she told Zuko. "Why don't you both sit back down?" They didn't.

"I haven't changed my answers from the last time," Zuko said firmly. "Just like they didn't change the time before, or the time before that. And you and I both know that the normal procedure isn't going to apply when it comes to me. It doesn't matter what I put; it won't stop them from coming to take me wherever they want and ask me everything they can think of."

"I thought you would say that," Djang commented. Katara sighed with relief. She didn't feel up to being in the middle of a fight tonight. She heard no paper rustling or pen scratching. "I will let Wata know."

"Thank you," Zuko responded. "Now would you like to sit?" Djang agreed and took his place back next to Katara, and Zuko joined them. "So, Djang, any news on the war?"

Djang recounted a few skirmishes in the Earth Kingdom of which he had heard from soldiers. Katara could hear lingering distrust towards the prince in his voice, but she thought he was warming to Zuko as they talked more. But she supposed that could just be her own wishful thinking projected onto their conversation.

As the conversation continued, Katara felt herself getting distracted. Something wasn't right. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. Slowly, oh-so-surreptitiously, Zuko's hand was inching towards her own, until now their fingers were beginning to overlap. As she realized this, her hand twitched, and Zuko took the opportunity to cover it completely with his own.

Djang, mid-sentence, faltered just a bit. Katara froze as she realized what Zuko was doing. Suddenly their friendly triangle had morphed into two-against-one, with Djang on the outside. He was using her to make Djang jealous - or he was trying to _claim _her or some other nonsense. Either way, she couldn't believe it. As she tugged her hand out from under his, feeling a blush rise with her temper, she heard Djang stand.

"I should go," he said, and Katara followed him, feeling Zuko do the same beside her.

"You don't have to," she told him quickly. "I -"

"No, I should go," he repeated. "I have to get these reports to Wata. Good night, Katara, Zuko." His footsteps retreated as Zuko murmured his reply. She was speechless.

As soon as Djang was gone, Katara rounded on Zuko. "What was that?" Her voice was quiet but unmistakably angry.

He actually took a step back. "What?"

"What were you trying to do just now? Scare Djang off? Show him I _belong_ to you_?_ You can't _use _me, Zuko."

"I wasn't trying to -"

"I'm not yours to use as some kind of - some proof of masculinity." She held a finger up to his face. "You have no right -"

"Katara, stop!" He grabbed her wrist. "That's not what I was trying to do - I mean, I wasn't trying to do anything!" At her disbelieving snort, he continued before she could jump in. "Katara, I swear. I wasn't doing that. Please believe me."

Something about his voice made her anger start to fade. Or maybe it was just that she only had two friends in this place, and she didn't want to fight with either one. She sat back down on the mat, and Zuko joined her.

"I'll admit," he continued. "Maybe I did want to make him a little jealous, but that was not the main reason."

"Then what was?" she demanded, reluctant to let go of her anger completely.

There was a long pause. "I just wanted to hold your hand," he said uncomfortably. Katara felt her mouth drop open. She wished she could see his face to tell if he was making fun of her. By the time she clamped her mouth shut, he was speaking again. "You don't believe me? I just wanted to hold your hand - why is that so crazy?" Now he sounded hurt. Suddenly she was mortified.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, turning away from him as her face heated to scarlet temperatures. Incredulously, she thought she heard him start to laugh, and to her surprise, her own lips twitched into a smile even as her blush settled deeper into her cheeks. "It's just - I couldn't see -" She didn't laugh like Zuko, but she did let go of the rest of her anger and give into a wry smile.

"You're crazy," he whispered, close to her ear. A shiver ran down her spine as she turned back to him. As their elbows brushed against each other, she stretched out her fingers and grabbed his hand tight.

"I'll hold your hand now," she joked nervously. "If you still want me to." He laughed softly, pulling her back down to sit on the mat.

"Of course I do. It's not like I didn't know you were crazy before." Snorting, she shoved at his shoulder, and he batted her hands away playfully. She rolled away, crawling to her side of the mat and unfurling her blanket. "Don't go away angry," he joked.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep now - good night." She purposefully ignored his muttered complaint as she lay there, facing away from him with a wide smile on her face. She heard him laugh quietly to himself as he spread his own blanket out and lay down. Katara breathed deeply, drifting slowly off to sleep with a grin still flitting across her lips.


	14. Possibilities

_Chapter Thirteen_

During a conversational lull the next morning, Zuko spoke in a serious tone. "Katara, there's something I wanted to ask you about." Katara finished folding her blanket and set it to the side, turning towards him. "I've been thinking about Toph." Her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

"I think about her all the time," she said in surprise. "And Sokka, and Aang, and everyone else out there."

"No," Zuko said, "hear me out. I've been thinking about how - about the way she sees things with her bending."

"I've thought about that, too." What was he getting at? "She's an earthbender. She's lucky."

"She uses her bending to see," Zuko repeated calmly. "What if you could do it, too?" She didn't even know how to form a response sardonic enough for that question.

"I can't sense earth," she said finally. Her confusion was starting to melt into frustration, but she tried to hide it. "I can't sense the floor or the walls or where people are standing. What are you talking about?"

"Katara, touch the wall." His hand found hers, pressing it against the cold stone. "It's wet. This whole dungeon is full of water. The walls seep with it; the floor is damp. _We're _full of water. Can you feel it around you?"

She didn't know. "It just feels... normal," she said. She touched a fingertip to the wall, pulling a few drops to its surface. Her mind raced. If he was right, her life would change drastically. She was scared to hope.

At Zuko's urging, she breathed deeply, reaching out as though to bend the water in the walls. She thought about how it was when she practiced her bending - how she used to practice before she was locked up. Moving, feeling the pull of the water on her whole body. Feeling it tug at her, showing her how to guide it with her arms, telling her how to twist and flow with its waves and ripples. She raised her hands, sensing for the water that was everywhere - and she felt it. The moisture was _there,_ in front of her hand, forming a flat vertical plane. _The wall._ Katara moved her hands sideways, skimming them along but not quite touching its surface, wondering how she had never thought of this before.

It wasn't so much that she could _see _with her bending. It was more like stretching out with her mind, reachingfor her element. She let the water call to her, _pull _at her, and it started to show her hazy forms. She didn't think she would ever be able to rival Toph's abilities, but it was something. Something beautiful.

"It's working!" she cried, spinning in a circle. The wall was behind her now, and _there_, just to her left, was Zuko. She could _feel _him there, the blood in his veins, the water in his whole body. It was so strange, like millions of tiny bubbles floating clustered into arms and legs and a torso and head. She reached out, touching her fingertip squarely to the point of his chin. "It's working," she repeated in a whisper. She marveled at knowing where he was, knowing as he shifted his weight, knowing even as he shook his head in wonderment.

Dropping her hand and taking a step away from Zuko, she squeezed her eyes tight, bit her lip, and concentrated as hard as she could. Her fingers stretched out, straining the muscles as she breathed in and out deeply. _Concentrating. _Slowly it began to come together. She could feel water everywhere. A few people sat on nearby mats. If she pushed herself hard, she could just barely make out the metropolis near the doors. Dozens of people crowded together, making it hard for her to distinguish individuals.

It was the most amazing feeling - certainly not as good as sight, she was sure, but immeasurably better than complete helplessness. And maybe if she practiced it would get better. She needed Toph, she thought wryly. As her attention faded, so did the forms she was picking up, so she cleared her mind and bore down, concentrating hard. People near their mat moved around; two women walked right by, and she felt it as one of them stumbled. The woman staggered forward and her friend grabbed one of her wheeling arms to pull her upright. Katara's head spun as their laughter reached her ears. Before she would have been startled by the sudden noise, but now she even knew what was funny.

By this point she was smiling harder than she had in months. She laughed out loud as she felt one of her nearest neighbors roll over on their mat. Shaking her head, she relaxed, and the senses she picked up faded. It was back to the long, damp wall behind her, the floor, and Zuko.

She spun around again, thrilled by the whole new world suddenly available to her. When she staggered sideways dizzily, she felt Zuko move to catch her. The feeling she got from knowing exactly where to reach for him was exhilarating, and rather than accepting his assistance she launched herself into his arms. He caught her, surprised, as she threw her arms around him. Like the last time they had embraced, she had tears in her eyes, but this time they were tears of elation.

"Thank you," she whispered throatily, barely keeping the moisture in her eyes from spilling over. She clung to him, smiling with her face buried against his neck. His arms slowly tightened around her as well. Then he laughed out loud and spun around so that her feet flew out. She kicked her legs back and leaned into him, laughing with him in exaltation.

When he finally slowed and she dropped her feet, she felt a bit embarrassed. She didn't step backwards out of his arms, but she lifted her face from his shoulder and tilted it back. It was wonderful knowing where he was; she just wished she could see his expressions - his smile, the look in his eyes. But when he stretched his neck forward and pressed their cheeks together, she could feel his half-smile. She smiled, too, even as the rippled skin of their scars brushed together and made her stomach leap uncomfortably.

"I'm glad it worked," Zuko murmured close to her ear. She felt him shake his head as he pulled back and away. She dropped her arms and stepped backwards as well, still not completely comfortable with whatever was happening between them. She liked it - she thought - but she liked to have things defined, and the pieces hadn't quite clicked into place for her yet. She had a feeling, though, that they would soon.

"Me, too." It was all she needed to say. She tipped her head back; she couldn't have held her smile back even if she'd wanted to.


	15. The Showers

_Chapter Fourteen_

The day just got better from there. By some stroke of luck, the guards decided to open the showers for the prisoners that afternoon. This was about the third time they had done so, always without announcing it beforehand. Katara had relished it both times before, and now it was even better. She filed along with the other prisoners, crowding near the doors to wait their turns. It was almost overwhelming when she focused on sensing her surroundings, but she kept at it, eager for all the practice she could get.

Zuko stayed at her side. She couldn't pick him out from the crowd, but he kept a light touch on her hip to let her know he was there. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, eager to leave the dungeons for the shower rooms. "We're getting close," she commented as more and more hazy forms filed through the doors. When it was their turn, a guard escorted them with a group of other prisoners down a short hallway.

The shower room was long and narrow. A hallway ran down the middle, enclosed on both sides by curtains, behind which were small 3-walled showers. The prisoners filed in obediently, each claiming a shower and entering it. For the first time, Katara could tell where she was going, but Zuko kept a guiding hand on her to help. He led her to an unclaimed shower before going to find one for himself. She stepped behind the curtain and closed it behind her, reaching out to ensure that it was closed on both ends before removing her dress.

As the showers cut on, she stepped directly under the stream and tilted her face back, relishing the feeling of the water. She washed quickly, combing her fingers through her hair, then scrubbed her dress with soap. She dried it easily with her bending before laying it over the shower rod. Then she just stood under the water and breathed. She missed this. Back home, she was always surrounded by water. Even travelling with Aang, they were almost always near a sea or river that she could use for bending and just replenishing herself. Now, showers were the only time she could even start to feel that way.

It was too hard trying to sense her surroundings with all this water so close. The shower stream distracted her too much for her to perceive anything outside, so she stopped trying and just enjoyed the water rushing over her. She took small steps, turning in a circle, and made a gentle rope of water to follow her movements. She knew it was risky, but no one had ever opened the curtain on her before. It was a small space, though, and she stopped turning as she scraped her hand on the rough stone wall.

And then, with a hiss, the showers cut off. She used her hands to sluice the water from her body, wrung it out of her hair, and reached for her dress. Her hand met the damp, slimy curtain, and when she groped around she found nothing. It was gone. She froze, heart stopping. She had no clothes. Had one of the guards taken them? She had heard rumors of cruel tricks played on prisoners - and some much worse things as well - but she had never experienced any herself.

She dropped to her knees, stuck her hand under the curtain, and searched the ground frantically, in case it had slipped off the shower rod. It wasn't there, either. She forced herself to stay calm and focused on sensing the room beyond the curtain. Sure enough, three large figures were loitering feet away from her rather than gathering near the door with the rest. One of them held something that might be her dress; it was hard to tell specifically, but Katara was willing to bet on it. _What to do?_

Another form approached her shower. As it neared, it sped up. "Hey!" It was Zuko. "What do you think you're doing?" He strode right up to the three guards and snatched the damp fabric away from them.

"What do you think _you're _doing, boy?" The guard who had been holding her dress caught hold of Zuko's arm. The other two didn't move. The largest of the three took a step back. "You're nothing here, _Prince._ You have no authority, and you have no business bothering us." His voice boomed out, echoing through the room. It was a strange voice, not as deep as she would expect from such a large man.

"You can believe that, if you wish." Zuko's voice as pure ice. Even Katara, frozen behind her curtain, got chickenpig-bumps. The largest guard took another half-step back, hesitated a moment, and then turned outright to go handle some other business. "I would suggest that you unhand me." Zuko did not raise his voice whatsoever, but his words were somehow even more threatening. "Now." He stood stock still and waited.

To Katara's shock, the guard dropped his hands. His friend turned and left, but the aggressor never turned his back. "I'll be watching you," he warned.

"You do that," Zuko said softly in the same icy tone. He didn't turn away from the confrontation, either. The guard moved first.

"Move them back!" he shouted towards the doors. He finally turned away from Zuko, walking back down the narrow hallway. "You're late, girl," he snarled as he passed Katara's curtain. He raised a hand and tore it to the side before she could react. Still kneeling naked on the shower floor, she leaned forward and hugged her chest to hide herself. The guard just laughed as Zuko cursed and lunged toward him. Ignoring the angry prince, the guard continued down the hall. Zuko snapped her curtain back into place, throwing her the clothes.

Stumbling to her feet, she wrapped her bindings haphazardly with shaking hands, threw the dress over her head, and stepped out into the hallway. The last thing she needed was to be separated from everyone else. She stumbled into Zuko as she hurried out, and he caught her to his side and kept his arm around her. "Come on," he murmured. It wasn't just her hands that were shaking, she realized; it was her whole body. They made their way back to the dungeons and their mat.

Zuko sat down, but Katara shook herself free and refused to follow suit. She was too angry and flustered to sit, so she paced in short lines back and forth. "What was that?" she demanded. Her hands flew up of their own accord, gesturing wildly in her angst. Zuko sat silently, letting her walk for a few moments. She couldn't name all of the emotions running through her brain; she was confused, she was furious, and she was humiliated, and the combination was messing with her head.

As she paused from her pacing and pressed her hands to her head, trying to settle her thoughts, Zuko finally spoke. "Katara." His voice was gentle. "Sit down." She shook her head, still pressing it tightly between her palms. She couldn't concentrate. Her whole body still burned with shame and fury, and she couldn't focus on the questions she wanted to ask Zuko.

"I can't _think_," she muttered angrily. "I can't believe - oh, the next time I see that guard -" She made a move as though bending a water whip, and was shocked by a rough grip on her arm. Zuko jerked her down to the mat.

"Katara, _stop._" His voice was harsh. "You can't even _talk_ like that. Don't make yourself a threat, and whatever you do, you can _not _use bending as a weapon. You can't use it at all. Don't you think I would have firebended at that guard if I could have? It's not a good idea."

"Since when do you need good ideas?" she barked angrily, jerking her arm away. "I seem to remember that you've been making rash decisions your whole life!" The possible implications of these words didn't even hit her until after they were spoken. She gasped. "I didn't mean your scar - I meant other times, like even when you joined us it was kind of impulsive -"

"And almost every one of those times was a mistake," Zuko interrupted. "And Katara, maybe you don't understand, but things are different in here." His voice was loud, but he caught himself and continued more softly. "You don't have a chance to escape if you make someone angry. You don't get a chance to compromise. You get your punishment, and you can't avoid it."

"Speaking of which," she countered, "why aren't you being punished right now? How can you challenge the guards and get off with nothing?"

"I was wondering that, too." Katara jumped. She had stopped trying to feel the pull of her surroundings, so Djang's arrival startled her. _Great. _It wasn't that she didn't want Djang there, but she was already too overwhelmed to focus. "I heard what happened." _Even better. _"Are you okay, Katara?"

She nodded tightly, feeling her face burn anew. "Answer the question," she demanded to Zuko.

He sighed. If Katara knew him, he wasn't ready to stop with all his warnings yet. "It's simple," he said pleadingly. "Like I told you, the people of the Fire Nation think I've rejoined my father. The guards are confused; they've been told the same thing, and yet I'm here. Some of them think I'm a spy or something; some suspect the truth, but they're not certain enough to take a chance and fight me."

"So you get a free pass," Djang commented resentfully.

"Wouldn't that mean not being here at all?" Zuko replied flatly. "I don't expect it to last much longer. Before they paraded me around on that tour I thought it was over. And they'll still punish me if I really do anything wrong. As I was telling Katara, I would never firebend at them - just like _she _can never waterbend at them."

Djang drew in a breath. "She didn't try -"

"I didn't." Katara didn't need them talking about her while she was sitting right there. "But I will if that guard -"

"No!" Djang and Zuko spoke together loudly. "I warned you -"

"I tried to tell you -" They both broke off, and Djang continued. "I told you, Katara, you can't bend, let alone attack a guard. Are you crazy? You don't understand what's at stake."

"So tell me!" she cried in frustration. "They'll beat me? I can handle it as long as I get a shot at him first!"

Djang cut her off. "They take away your bending, Katara." Her mouth dropped open. "They have ways to block your chi - pressure-point bracelets - so you can't bend. _Think about that. _It's horrible - I told you I would never wish it on anyone. Except maybe Ozai," he added nastily. "I don't know what Zuko told you, but you can't describe it unless you've felt it."

"I _have_ felt it," Zuko said. Katara had just managed to shut her mouth, but now her jaw fell again. "Right after I was captured. I wouldn't stop fighting them, so they put me in the bracelets for a few weeks. Djang's not exaggerating, Katara. It's the worst thing I've ever experienced." Chills raced down Katara's spine as she thought of all the other bad things Zuko had endured - and yet, this punishment was the worst.

"Fine," she said. She had never heard of such a thing as chi-blocking bracelets, but she got sick to her stomach just thinking of the feeling of the aftermath of an attack by Ty Lee. And without her bending, she would lose her newly found 'sight,' totally lost once again. She shivered. "You've convinced me."


	16. Threats

_Chapter Fifteen_

It happened in the middle of the night. Katara was awakened by noises near the dungeon doors. She bolted instantly upright, hands reflexively patting the mat for some kind of weapon. Of course, there was none. Zuko grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to his side of the mat so she was laying back down. "Shh," he whispered, "don't draw any attention."

"What's going on?" she hissed anxiously. She squinted her eyes closed and reached out with her bending, but there were too many people near the doors for her to make anything out clearly. Prisoners startled awake jumped to their feet, milling around and trying to figure out what was happening. Then several forms broke through the confused crowd, coming towards them. "Zuko?"

Before he could answer, they were there. Two soldiers grabbed Katara; one by the wrist Zuko still held, and one by her shoulder. She cried out as they jerked her out of Zuko's grasp and to a standing position. The soldier holding her shoulder let go as the other man clasped both of her wrists tightly to hold her. He pulled her so her back was flush against him, their hands in front of her and pressing uncomfortably into her stomach. Her first instinct was to fight back, and she struggled futilely against his powerful grip. She didn't dare try bending after the previous week's conversation with Zuko and Djang, but she had enough control to reach out and sense her surroundings.

"Stop!" cried Zuko. Several forms were struggling on the mat. "Why are you doing it like this? I've always gone willingly!" The soldiers didn't answer, but one gave a satisfied grunt as the struggle stopped. Three soldiers hauled Zuko to his feet. As they swung him towards her, he must have seen her straining away from the man who held her. "Hey - let her go! You're disgusting!" He twisted in their grasp, but they held him back.

"Come with us, Prince Zuko." A female soldier spoke. "Your father wishes to speak with you."

"I would have gone if you had asked," he snapped. "Now let us go!" They dropped his arms and stepped back, but the man holding Katara did not move.

"I'll hold her until he's safely out of here," he said slimily. Katara's heart froze. She knew that voice - it was the guard who had stolen her dress in the showers. She forced herself to keep concentrating on her sensing. Zuko tensed as though to jump towards her, but then he straightened and clenched his fists.

His voice was strained. "As soon as I am out the door, you _will _let her go," he ordered icily.

"Of course, Your Highness," replied the guard. He pulled Katara even closer, and she couldn't stop a revolted expression from spreading over her face, tinged with pain from his vicelike grip on her wrists. Zuko nodded and, turning, strode away from her. She couldn't believe it. He was just _leaving?_ Without even a goodbye? They were taking him away, and there was no way to know when he would be back. Her concentration slipped as her heartrate skyrocketed even higher than it already was.

Every receding footstep was like a punch to her stomach.

She heard the creaking door, then a bang as it slammed shut. The soldier adjusted his grip on her, tilting his face down so it was close by her cheek. "Now what are you going to do, without your protector?" he whispered. His lips actually grazed her ear; the feeling of his hot moist breath on her face sickened her. "I hear he's going to be away for quite a while this time. You'll need a firebender to keep you warm, peasant." To her utter revulsion, she felt something even warmer and wetter on her cheek. Oh, Moon and Sea, he was kissing her, his tongue laving at the edge of her scar. She panicked, flailing and kicking back at his legs, and he removed his lips with a snort of laughter.

"I'll be back," he promised. He released her wrists, caught a quick grip on her hips, and squeezed before shoving her forward so that she fell to her hands and knees on the mat. She scrambled to her feet, wheeling around in fury, but he met her with nothing more than a snide chuckle. "I don't think you want to do that," he sneered. "Don't follow your precious prince's lead; you really don't want to tempt me to punish you. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you can't see it coming." His laugh was the most revolting sound she had ever heard. Katara's whole body was tense, but as she thought about his words, she didn't dare to raise her clenched fists. Instead, face burning, she slowly turned her back to him and sat down.

"I think your friends are waiting for you." She kept her voice calm, but there was no way to disguise the revulsion in her tone. The man laughed again, and her skin crawled. He kicked once at her mat and turned to walk away, repeating his words one more time.

"I'll be back."

The normal murmurs and whispers that formed the background noise of the dungeons had already started back up as he exited the dungeons. It wasn't ten seconds after the door slammed again when Djang arrived at a run. He landed on his knees beside her, where she sat rubbing her wrists and shaking her head. "Are you all right?" he demanded. His hand ran gently up the plane of her back, trying to comfort her. She didn't answer at first, her mind still reeling. "That's never happened to Zuko before," Djang added softly. "They always just come and take him quietly."

"Has it happened to others?" The steadiness of her voice surprised even her. Djang held an awkward silence. "If it has, did they come back?" Her whisper shook a bit.

"Some did," he answered honestly. That was one thing Djang always did - speak the truth. "But, Katara, even the ones that didn't - we don't know what happened to them. They could have been released for all we know; they could be at home with their families right now. I've heard people say that the soldiers making a scene is just a way to scare the rest of us."

She nodded. _Just a way to scare us,_ she told herself. That would make sense, she thought. "That soldier said he would be gone for a long time," she told Djang.

"You don't know if he was lying," he reminded her. "They all want us to be scared; they get their pleasure from knowing we fear them. You have to stay strong." He was right, but she _did _fear the soldiers - or at least, one of them.

"The man who was holding me," she whispered hoarsely, "he said that he would come back for me. And he's the one who stole my dress in the shower." She rubbed her palm convulsively against her cheek, where she could still imagine the pressure of the soldier's mouth. She shuddered, drawing her knees to her chest and dropping her head. "I'm scared," she admitted quietly.

Djang was silent, but he kept gently rubbing her shoulders. He didn't try to reassure her, which only solidified Katara's suspicions. The guard's threats weren't idle. He could come back for her, if he chose to do so. She thought of his crushing grip on her wrists, pressing her hands into her stomach and her back against his chest, his lips filling her ear with warm moist breath and pressing sloppily against her face. Her heart was beating so rapidly that she thought she might vomit.

"I have to get out of here," she murmured. Djang made a noise to cut her off, but she continued desperately. "Djang, I can't just sit here and worry and wait for him to come back. I can't." She wasn't even sure which _him _she meant - the guard or Zuko. Her voice held a trace of tears, but she managed to hold them in. "I need -" she broke off, mind racing. "I need..." And then it came to her. _Sunshine._ She raised her head, turning her face toward him pleadingly. "Put my name on the list for outside work assignments."


End file.
